Filament storage apparatus



J. FLAWS, JR

FILAMENT S TORAGE APPARATUS March 20, 1945.

Original Filed Nov. 16, 1938 lnven tor: John Haws Jr.

rn His AFtor'ney.

Patented Mar. 20, 1945 UNITED STATE John Flaws, Ia, East Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of- New York Original application November 16, 1938. Serial Nb.

Divided and this application March 12, 1942, Serial No. 434,451

Claims. (01. 206=56) My invention relates in general to method and apparatus for storing and transporting coiled filaments for electric lamps and the like. The present application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 240,779, filed November 16, 1938, and assigned to the assignee of the present application. The copending application has matured into Patent 2,280,573.

The usual process of handling coiled lamp filaments heretofore consisted in placing small quantities thereof in closed containers, following in-, spection of the filaments, and then transporting the containers to a place where the filaments are to be assembled with the other lamp parts. The filaments are manually removed from the container to small piles either on automaticmounting apparatus or on trays from which they are taken manually and mounted. Both steps of this process are objectionable, the disposition of the filaments in the closed container causing the filaments to rub on each other and the coils thereof to interlock, and the subsequent separation of the filaments, at the point of assembly with the other lamp parts, being rendereddifiicult by reaually separated condition.

Another object of my invention is to provide a convenient magazine for storing and transferring a relatively large quantity of coiled filaments in individually separated relation to the point of use, and which allows the release 01' said filaments at definite and regular intervals.

a glass plate I! on which the filaments Hi to be stored are disposed for visual examination thereof by an operator seated before the table. To facilitate inspection of the filaments, suitable light projecting means (not shown) may be employed for'the purpose of providing adequate illumination on the top and bottom of the glass plate l2. In addition, the table II may be further provided with optical means for projecting an enlarged image of the particular filament Ill under examination onto a screen located adjacent the table.

The filaments III, as they pass inspection, are inserted in a-storage device or magazine l3 comprising a reel or spool It on which is wound a Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description of a species thereof and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of apparatus comprising my invention for storing coiled filaments 1n individually separated-relation in a magazine according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the magazine or storage device comprising my invention; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the storage magazine comprising my invention; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, on an enlarged scale. of an end portion of the loading strip of the magazine shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring to the drawing, the apparatus according to the invention for storing coiled filaments It) in individually spaced relation comprises a sorting and inspectiontable ll having -'iiexible loading strip I! provided, at closely spaced regular intervals therealong, with small laterally extending elongated recesses or indentations l6 terminating short of the side edges of the strip and of the proper size and shape to each receive one of'the filaments Ill. The flexible strip l5 may be formed or molded of any suitable material, such as metal, rubber or paper, possessing the flexibility necessary to permit winding'of the I strip onto the spool l4. Preferably, however, the

loading strip I5 is made of a relatively thin strip of stainless steel having the pockets l6 punched or pressed therein. Substantially the entire length of the loadingstrip i5 is preferably provided with the recesses or pockets It to thereby permit maximum utilization of the length of the strip for filament storage purposes. However, the pockets ii, for a limited distance back from each end of the loading strip l5, are preferably partially filled with solder (as indicated at I9 in Fig. 4) to prevent the insertion of filaments in such end pockets, the solder fillingonly the opposite ends or each pocket It. The end sections of the loading strip so provided with the solder-filled recesses or pockets thus constitute, in effect, leader strip portions II which serve to overlap and seal the last turn of the filamentcontainlng intermediate portions of the loading strip, when the strip is wound on the spool It. so as to prevent the filaments carried by such last turn of the loading strip from dropping out of the pockets in which they are disposed.

The unloaded magazine l3 is'positioried at the right-hand side of the table II and is fixedly mounted on a rearwardly extending shaft It with the loading strip ll 'of the magazine in alignment with a track or channel I9 extending along the front or forward edge of the table II. The said track I9 is formed in a bar 20 secured to the table II and extending along the front edge thereof. The empty loading strip I5 is unwound from the 'rearwardly extending shaft spool H of the storage magazine and is moved. with the pockets l8 thereof facing upwardly, along the track I9 by means of a grooved feeding drum or roller 2| which is shaped to engage the pockets i8 in the loading strip I8 and which is driven from a suitable source not shown but diagrammatically represented by the electric motor 22. The feed roller 2| is fixedly mounted on a 23 supported by brackets 24, 25 on the upper surface of the table II. The feed roller 2| and shaft 23 are driven from a shaft 26, extending across the rear of the table I below the level of the top thereof, through a set of lower intermeshing gears 21, 28, a vertical shaft 29, and a set of upper intermeshing gears 38, 3|. The motor 22 may, for instance, be connected to shaft 28 by a suitable speed reducer (not shown). a

The loading Strip I is pulled or unwound from the supply spool H by the rotation of the feeding roller 2|. the spool I 4 causes the latter, as well as the shaft l8 on which it is fixedly mounted, to turn or rotate against the resistance of a brake (not shown) engaging the said shaft IS. The supply spool i4 is retained on the shaft l8 by means of a knob or retaining nut 32 threaded onto the front end of said shaft.

The loading strip i5 is maintained in engagement with the feed roller 2| by means of a co-operating grooved idling roller or drum 33 rotatably mounted on a stud 34 extending from the bar 28 on the table i I. That portion of the loading strip l5 adjacent the feed roller 2| and disposed in the track I9 is directly in the line of movement of the operators right hand and forearm and is protected therefrom by a plate 35 which also serves as a rest for the operators forearm.

To start the filament loading operation, the free end or leader portion H of the loading strip I5 is inserted between the feed rollers 2|, 33, then drawn through the track 8 and suitably fastened to the core of a. take-up spool or reel 38 located adjacent the terminal or left-hand end of the.

track l9 and in alignment therewith. The said take-up spool 36 is fixedly mounted on the front end of a rearwardly extending shaft 31 supported by a bracket 38 extending from the table I. To keep that portion of the loading strip i5 between the feeding roller 2| and the take-up spool 38 tightly stretched at all times, the take-up spool is turned or rotated by the shaft 31 with sufllcient force to so maintain the strip I 5 taut, the takeup spool preferably being rotated in a direction (counter-clockwise with the arrangement shown in Fig. 1) such that the loading strip i5 is wound on the said spool 36 with the pockets |8 in the strip facing outwardly. The shaft 31 is turned with the necessary force to keep the proper tension in the loading strip i5 by the frictional engagement of a drum 39, fixedly mounted on the shaft 31, with a. surrounding band 40 carried by a disc 4| rotatably mounted on the shaft 31. One end of the band 40 is fastened to the disc 4| by a stud 42 while the other end is connected to the said stud through a, coiled tension spring 43 which tends to contract and draw the band 40 tightly about the periphery of the drum 39. The disc 4| is driven through a bevel gear 44 which rotates as a unit with the said disc 4| and which meshes with a bevel gear 45 on the drive shaft 28.

Following the inspection thereof, the filaments 8 are separated by the operator and either lifted or slid into the pockets l8 in the loading strip 18 which is moved or indexed along th track l8 at a uniform rate from right to left at such a speed as to present empty pockets i8 to the filament loading position as and when they are required.

The unwinding of the strip Hi from After passing the loading position, the loading strip i8 moves underneath a sealing strip 48 which is fed to the loading strip so as to overlie the top thereof and retain or seal the filaments ii in the pockets i8 of said strip IS. The sealing strip 48 is preferably made from a material not likely to leave threads or other contamination on the filaments III in the pockets l8, such as, for instance, the transparent material manug factured under the trade name "Ce1l0phane by the E. I. Du Pont de Nemours 8: 00., of Wilmington, Delaware. However, if desired, the sealing strip 48 can be dispensed with providing the lower surface of the loading strip I5 is so formed as to seal or cover the pockets IS in the underlying turn of the loading strip when the latter is wound tightly on the take-up spool 38, and providing. further, that some suitable means are employed to temporarily retain the filaments in the pockfits as the strip i8 passes around the take-up spool, until the said pockets are covered or overlapped by the overlying turn of the loading strip.

The sealing strip 48 is fed to the loading strip 5 from a supply spool 41 which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 48 extending from a bracket 4! attached to the table II. The sealing strip 48 is wound together with the loading strip i5 onto the take-up spool 38, and is pulled from the supply spool 41 against the resistance of a brake (not shown) which engages the bracket 48 and the shaft 48 on which the spool 41 is mounted. The sealing strip 48 is guided onto the upper surface of the loading strip i5 by a, guide roller ill around and under which the sealing strip passes, the said guide roller being located adjacent the terminal end of the track i9 and being rotatabiy mounted on a pin 5| carried by the bar 20. An elongated weight 52, pivotally mounted at one end on the pin 8| and extending to a point beyond the center of the take-up spool shaft 31. rests on top the sealing strip 48 so as to press and maintain the sealing strip against the loading strip i5, on the way to the take-up spool. and thereby prevent the escape of the filaments ID from the pockets 'i 8 in' the loading strip during such travel.

To insure the proper loading of each pocket i6 in the loading strip with a filament l0, suitable indicating or control means 53 are provided for interrupting the movement of the loading strip l5 along the track i9 when an improperly loaded pocket i8 is encountered. In this way,

the operator is apprised of the improper loading of the strip l5 and can thereforecorrect such condition so that the loading strip l5 will afterwards function properly in the feeding apparatus of a filament mounting machine; also, so that a definite number of filaments ID will be known to occupy a. previously counted and marked number of pockets I8.

The indicator means 53 referred to above comprises a movable finger 54 disposed above the loading strip l8 at a point beyond the loading position thereof and adapted to enter the pockets i6 and engage the filaments-I8 therein as the loading strip i 5 moves along the track iii. The said finger 54 is mounted on one end of an arm 55 the other end of which is pivoted on a pin 58 in a bracket 51. The said bracket is fastened to the bar 28, and bridges the track IS in which the loading strip I5 is located. The finger 54 is carried into engagement with the loading strip I! and the filaments l6 in the pockets I6 thereof by the weight of the arm 66.

When more than one filament ID in any one pocket I6 is encountered by the finger 64, the

said finger and its associated arm 66 are raised arm 56, into engagement with a co-operating stationary contact 56 mounted on the bar 20, thus completing a circuit through the secondary 6| of a transformer (the primary 6! of which is connected to a source of current) and through the coil 64 of a, relay 63. The completion of the said circuit through the coil 64 results in the energization of said coil which then draws the movable armature 66 of the relay out of engagement with its co-operating stationary contact 66, thus interrupting the current supply circuit to the electric motor 22. The de-cnergization of the motor 22 then interrupts the operation of the feeding mechanism for the loading strip l so that movement of said strip along the track I6 is temporarily stopped while the operator corrects the improper loading condition of the particular pocket l6 in the loading strip. After such correction, normal operation of the apparatus is then resumed. A

When an empty pocket I6 is encountered by the control finger 54, the arm 65 moves to a'position lower then normal, causing a second contact not shown) on said arm to engage another stationary contact (also not shown) mounted on the bar 20. These contacts are likewise connected to the transformer secondary 6| and the relay coil 64 in the same manner as contacts 56. 56 so that their interengagement completes the circuit through the relay coil 64 which then interrupts' operation of the electric motor 22 and therefore movement of the loading strip 16 along the track IS, the same as when more than one filament I6 is disposed within a single pocket l6.

After completion of the filament loading of the strip IS, the tail end or rear leader portion of'said strip is manually wound on the take-up spool 66 and held in'a tightly coiled condition thereon until the said end of the strip is suitably secured against unwinding. Any convenient means, such as a paper sticker, can be used to hold the tail end of the loading strip IS in its tightly coiled condition on the takeup spool 66. After such fastening of the tail end of the loading strip, the spool 66, on which said strip is mounted, is then removed from the shaft 61 and either stored or transferred to the place where the filaments l6 contained in said spool are to be used. Since the filaments Hi are contained within sealed chambers or pockets, the possibility of contamination thereof and injury thereto during storage and shipping is completely eliminated.

The structure of the spools l4 and 36 of the filament storage magazine l6 comprising my invention is preferably made alike so as to permit interchangeability of said spools in the loading and unloading apparatus therefor. As shown in Fig. '3,- each spool I4. 36 comprises a'pair of gages the movable flange 66. The inner faces of the flanges 6,1, 66 arepreferabiy provided with resilient facin'gs 16,16 which may be made of,

for instance, rubber and against which the loading strip II of the magazine normally bears.

During the periods the loading strip I2 is being removed from or wound onto the spool l4 or 66, the. flanges 61, 66 thereof are slightly separated so as to provide a small amount of clearance between the edges of the loading strip l6 m and the resilient inner facing 13 of the spool, the

said clearance thus permitting free movement of the loading strip between the spool flanses.

However, after the loading strip I6 has been wound onto the spool, and during the period when 15 the magazine is held in storage or is being shipped,

the resilient facings 13-01 the flanges 61, 66 are forced against the side edges of the loading strip I 5. This movement of the flanges 61, 66 is controlled by the extent to which the retaining nut H is screwed into the hub 16 and also by a plurality of spring-pressed plungers or pins 14 (only one of which is shown in Fg. 3) which are mounted in the enlarged portion of'the hub 16 and which are pressed into engagement with cooperating depressions or recesses 16 in the in-.

her face of the flange 66 by the expansion of coil springs I6 surrounding the said plungers 14. The

springs 16 are located in wells 11 in the hub 10 and butt at one end against the bottom walls of said wells and at the other end against heads 16 on said plungers, the said heads 16 fitting into the co-operating apertures or recesses 16 in the movable flange 66. The pressure of the pins or .plungers '14 against the movable flange 66 of the 5 spool causes it to move outwardly when the re- 'taining nut II is unscrewed from the hub 16,

while the presence of the heads 16 or said pinsin.

the recesses 16 of said movable dance 66 causes both flanges 61, 66 to rotate together as a unit.

Although the resilient iacings 16 on the flanges 61, 66 seal the edges of both the loading strip II and the sealing strip 46 so that all moisture, lint and other foreign substance may not reach the filaments I 6 in the pockets I6, it-is not always necessary to provide such resilient facings inasmuch as the edge portions 01 the loading strip l6 and. the sealing strip 46, when the said strips are wound tightly on a spool, are drawn tightly together and seal the pockets 16 very efl'ectively. 50 Where the sealing of the pockets I6 is so effected by the tight winding together of the loading and sealing strips I6, 46, then the spools l4, 66,11 desired, may be permanently attached to-the loading apparatus and the loading strip l5 conveniently wound on a hollow core (such as shown .for the sealing strip in Fig. 1) which can he slid on and on the spools with the loading and sealing strips I5, 46 tightly wound in place thereon. Even with such an arragement, the filaments I6 are nevertheless sealed and retained in separate pockets or chambers, which therefore prevents their contamination; also, the loaded magazine can be shipped and stored with safety, al-

though somewhat more care is required in handling toprevent injury to the loading strip I6 and to prevent the unwinding thereof.

In the appended claims, the expression flex-.

ible strip means" is intended to include either the. loading strip I! alone or in combination with the 7 separate sealing strip 46.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A storage device for a plurality of helically coiled filaments for electric lamps comprisinga flexible strip provided with a plurality of elonin the boundaries or the strip and suillciently deep to wholly enclose the filaments.

2. A storage device tor a plurality of helically coiled filaments for electric lamps comprising a flexible strip provided with a plurality oi transversely extending elongated pockets for accommodatlng the said coiled filaments in individually separated relation therein, the said pockets being formed by depressions in the strip material confined wholly within the boundaries of the strip and sufiiciently deep to wholly enclose the tilements.

3. A storage device for a plurality of helically coiled filaments tor electric lamps comprising a spool, and flexible strip means spirally wound onto said spool and provided with a plurality of elongated pockets for accommodating the said coiled filaments in individually separated relation therein, the said pockets being formed by depressions in the strip material confined wholly within the boundaries of the strip and sufllciently deep to wholly enclose the filaments, said strip means also having retaining means at least partially coverin: said pockets tor retaining the coiled filaments therein.

4. A storage device for a plurality of helically coiled filaments for electric lamps comprising a spool, a flexible loading strip wound onto said spool and provided with a plurality. oi pockets for acommodating the said coiled filaments in individually separated relation therein, the said 900kets being formed by depressions in the strip ma terial confined wholly within the boundaries of the strip and suillciently deep to wholly enclose the filaments and a flexible sealing strip wound together with said loading strip onto said spool and covering the said pockets in-said loading strip so as to retain the coiled filaments in said pockets.

5. A storage device tor helieally coiled filaments for electric lamps comprising a spool including a hub portion andrelatively separable flanges on said hub portion, said flanges having inner faces of resilient material, and a flexible strip spirally wound on said spool between its flanges, said strip being provided with pockets for accommodating the filaments in individually separated relation, and means for drawing the spool flanges together to compress their resilient inner faces JQHN FLAWS, JR. 

